"The world is round so that friendship may encircle
it"–Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

The Prophet's
Promise to St. Catherine —
An Example of Islam's
Inclusiveness of all Religions and Civilizations

In 628 AD, a Christian delegation from St.
Catherine’s Monastery came to the Prophet Muhammed and requested his
protection. He responded by granting them a charter of rights,
which is reproduced below in its entirety. St. Catherine’s
Monastery is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai and is the world’s
oldest monastery. It possesses a huge collection of Christian
manuscripts, second only to the Vatican, and is a world heritage
site.

“This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a
covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are
with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers
defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I
hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is
to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their
jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to
destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry
anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone take any
of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet.
Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against
all that they hate. No one is to force them to travel or to
oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a
female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place
without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting
her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are
neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness
of their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey
the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”

When I look at Islamic sources, I find in
them unprecedented examples of religious tolerance and
inclusiveness. They make me want to become a better person. I
think the capacity to seek good and do good inheres in all of
us. When we subdue this predisposition towards the good, we deny
our fundamental humanity—Dr. Muqtedar
Khan, Director of Islamic Studies at the University of Delaware
and a fellow of the Institute for Social Policy and
Understanding.